Witnesses discussed surveillance footage and Cash App payments between the defendant and victim in a homicide trial before DC Superior Court Judge Neal Kravitz on March 30.
Jaime Macedo, 24, is charged with first-degree felony murder while armed, attempt to commit robbery while armed, two counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, and unlawful possession of a firearm with a prior conviction. The charges stem from his alleged involvement in the fatal shooting of 25-year-old Maxwell Emerson on the 600 block of Alumni Lane NE on July 5, 2023.
Before the jury was called, parties argued over the admissibility of surveillance video footage taken from a Starbucks that showed Emerson and Macedo walking on Michigan Avenue, NE before the incident. The footage was originally sent to a Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) detective in July 2023, but was not received by prosecutors or defense counsel until March 27.
Defense attorney Rachel Cicurel argued that because the footage had been viewed by a member of law enforcement prior to trial, and only sent to the defense after the trial started, it should be considered inadmissible. Judge Kravitz considered admitting the footage and letting the defense redo their opening arguments, but parties instead opted not to show the footage to the jury.
After the jury arrived, the prosecution called a Snapchat law enforcement request specialist who testified about data from Emerson’s Snapchat account. The prosecution displayed a spreadsheet which, according to the specialist, held information about a Snapchat account tied to Emerson’s phone number.
The prosecution also showed the specialist a screenshot taken from an account with the display name “Max Emerson.”
The prosecution called a law enforcement analyst for Block Inc., the company that owns Cash App. Prosecutors displayed a spreadsheet of Cash App records that the analyst claimed belonged to “Max Emerson.” Among the records listed were Emerson’s name, phone number, email, cashtag, and banking information.
The analyst read a portion of the record showing that the account made a payment of $300 on July 5, 2023, to an individual with the display name “James Rodriguez.”
Prosecutors then displayed a spreadsheet with records from a second Cash App account with the display name “James Rodriguez.” Similar to the first account, the witness described the information listed on the spreadsheet, which included two points of identification, a driver’s license, and a verification photo.
Prosecutors showed the witness the photo of the driver’s license, which read the name “Jaime Macedo.” According to the record, the account under Rodriguez’s name received $300 from “Max Emerson” and subsequently sent out $290 to another account.
The prosecution called a retired Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officer who responded to the scene. According to the officer, he collected several objects belonging to Emerson from the scene and filled out a property form, which would allow the items to be claimed by the victim’s family.
The objects claimed as property were not collected as evidence, a decision the retired officer claimed he didn’t make.
An officer who works for the Metro Transit Police Department (MTPD) testified about an array of CCTV cameras of the Brooklyn-CUA Metro station.
The footage showed an individual in a green shirt, cargo shorts, and a black backpack enter the station and eventually leave. According to court documents, the individual in the videos was Emerson.
In the last video evidence, the green-shirted individual left the station, and was approached by a man in a black shirt and black pants at the top of the escalators. Court documents indicate the man in the black shirt was Macedo.
The individuals in the video had a conversation as they walked away from the station. The man in the green shirt then turned as if he tried to walk away but the man in the black shirt walked towards him. Eventually, the two men walked out of the view of the cameras together.
Without the jury present, parties received a note from a juror that expressed his concerns with the Spanish translation during a witness’ testimony from the day prior. After a discussion under seal, parties questioned the juror under seal and denied the defense request to dismiss the juror.
The same juror also expressed concerns about the death penalty. Judge Kravitz said he could put the jurors’ mind at ease by informing them there is no death penalty in DC. However, the defense argued the punishment is “irrelevant” for the juror to consider since the judge will impose a sentence if necessary.
The trial is scheduled to reconvene on March 31.
